TIMELESS - REVIEWS
sorted alphabetically by name of magazine/music portal::
Acid Dragon (France)
Musiker Magazin (Germany)
Progarchives (international)
Progressive Ears (Germany)
Stereoplay Magazin (Germany)
Acid Dragon magazine (France)
»FOR YOUR PLEASURE reminds me a label in the seventies called MFP, Music For Pleasure, producing cheap musak (Geoff love and his orchestra playing Western film soundtracks ...). Any relation with this band? No! They are German and they play really good music. Symphonic prog showing some GENESIS influences (see Get Them Out by Friday) on the first track, some CAMEL and ALAN PARSONS ones too. But mainly JETHRO TULL hints (the vocals, the general style - many ballads, even the guitars a la Martin Barre) but without the flutes. This is their second opus; it is produced by a band in full bloom (especially the keyboard wizard and the guitar player). Of course there are some drawbacks: the drum machines for instance. But this concept album will please to all exigent prog head: listen to the first and last track, they are wunderbar!!«
R. R.
Musiker Magazin (Germany)
»The independent, complex progressive rock, which has through the composition and the lyrics some what rememberance of JETHRO TULL. music pieces have quite elaborate melodious, appeal and possession of deepness. The musicians harmonise greatly together and melt to a homogeneous unity of groove, melody, form and content. They master their instruments well and are moving themselves up to a high level of musical standards and they seem to be succeeding further more. The hearers will expect spherical sounds with lots of guitar, at times electrical sounds, at times acoustic, at times hammond organs, a driving groove, at times smooth and or confounded, uneven sounds, greatly played bass, at times fretless and emotional singing from Lutz Meinert. This CD is made with heart and professionality and does not subdue any music fashion and is there for timeless and has an absolute pleasant sound for the ears! Check it out!«
Christian von Hauff (2000)
Progarchives (international)
»Timeless is the sophomore album, where Lutz handles the vocals, the keys and the drums, leaving the guitar in the talented hands of Nils Conrad (wait! I know that name, err?. I got it, he is currently the fret meister for Berlin band CRYSTAL PALACE!), while the wobbly bass is expertly fondled by Peter Stärk. Frank Brennekam adds more drumming to the mix. The cover art is a slight precursor of the Margin effort, trippy psychedelic pastiche that reflects the music within. The disc has three extended pieces in the 9 minute range that are arguably the most developed and interesting, as well as a slew of shorter cuts that have a few sparklers among them.
Always the Same Old Introduction of War is the first epic and it's a cute one, getting the juices flowing with some suspenseful special effects, dense dynamics and oddball vocals provided by Lutz Meinert, within the confines of clearly Genesisian vibes (winks of Harold the Barrel) and controversial anti-war lyrics , still a touchy subject for our dear German friends. A thoroughly enjoyable romp, adorned by some delicious galloping organ, groove bass and slippery, tolling bells, strident guitar accouterments and bombastic synth cascades. Loved it!
The three minute Sleepwalkers is acoustic guitar and voice lullaby, with the fretless 4 string monster snoring brashly in the undertow. There is the first clear indication of Jethro Tull influence as he sings his aqualungs out (I know he is a huge JT fan, so this is not a mere supposition), having as light Minstrel in the Gallery feel that is highly enjoyable.
Peter Stärk propels the magnificent I'm Talking, a strong piece that has some modern pop sensibilities a la Thomas Dolby that may detract the serious listener, but the spirit is pure 'spass' (fun in German) , something our Teutonic friends are not always famous for, being such a serious lot! I had this repetitive refrain in my humming mind for days on end, smiling along the way. The electronic keys have a Peter Vetesse feel, as if an excerpt from Broadsword & the Beast. Another winning track.
The mostly instrumental What? is a Nils Conrad platform to express some inner silliness in quite vivacious terms, this is a thrilling prog exercise that just progresses beyond the expected and clearly seeks out to administer some instrumental prowess. Also features Brennekam on drums and percussives . The prog label is stamped with this one!
City Nights is a another epic piece that throbs right from the get go, the bass playing a cool vibe, the mood very urbane and casual, all done in a serious/playful contrast that never fails to impress. Lutz does another fine Ian Anderson imitation, the keys become quite luminous as the Stärk bass continues carving like some jazz madman. The finale is riff-oriented and gives Nils Conrad the green light to radiate the six strings with laser fast licks, a truly palpitating piece of music. Tremendous track indeed.
Next we have 5 short tracks that could have/should have been incorporated into a suite, starting off with a drum and percussion onslaught that fares quite successfully, a duet between Meinert and Brennekam, entitled Fritz. Fun and energetic!
Stay With Me is the commercial pop tune, a lovely ballad that has refreshingly breezy contours, some vivid playing by all, a slight countrified air as well as a loose demeanor. Almost a THE STRAWBS feel, which is always a good thing. (In my previous mixes, I always felt that David Cousins and Ian Anderson, while different, could always follow each other well). This song actually grows in stature with repeated listens.
Things get quite "thick" with the overtly Tullian Goodnight and Yet? which needs little further explanation, as Conrad does his Barre, Stärk his Pegg and, well? you get it! Uncanny yet wholly reverential, purists will view this with suspicion but it's all rather well executed. Its companion piece, the brief Once on a Grey Day offers up some fine playing once again, especially Conrad who really excels on the acoustic and electric axe. Lutz keeps the tension alive with some inspired piano.
A companion to the earlier drum frenzy on Fritz, we have a duet with Peter Stärk's bass fondling, caressing and seducing the drums and the marimba? like percussion. I am a sucker for such stuff, so, as basic and safe as this may appear, I just love the loose fantasy involved.
Finally The Hole and its near 9 minutes finish off this timeless album, surely one that will not get picked up on anyone's radar, in retrospect a sad turn of events. Lutz keeps his Anderson tone intact, (Toad in a Hole?) in a more playful candied environment, motored by an engaging beat that is fueled by a ragingly accurate bass guitar. The arrangement goes through a series of shifts and grandiose melodies, all very successful in keeping the breathing palpable. It starts out with an obvious Andy Mackay-like oboe intro and then veers into a fully developed piece that hits all the right buttons. Great finale.
This was surprising audition, as I was expecting something quite horrid that not only did not materialize but in fact turned out to be quite a pleasant prog adventure. The best was yet to come with MARGIN but this is was a most enjoyable revelation. Whether for only my pleasure or maybe yours, I loved it. Just like with MAEGIN, the brilliant bass guitar work sculpts a totally different perception to what otherwise may perhaps be viewed a lighter weight material. Like I have been pleading for over 45 years now, "just follow the bass"!«
Thomas Szirmay (10/2014)
Progressive Ears (international)
»Overall, I'd say they remind me most of the English band Parallel Or 90 Degrees. The singer has that Ian Anderson meets Peter Hammill style and the music is crisp and original. Timeless is the bands second album and it is quite a progression from their first, Scattered Pages.
The opening song, Always The Same Old Introduction Of War is very aggressive with an intro of samples of air-raid sirens, a haunting choir, radio newsmen and helicopters all accompanied by an eerie keyboard. This is one of the better pieces on the album with lots of heavy Hackettesque guitars and military percussion flourishes.
The next number, Sleepwalkers, consists of beautiful acoustic guitar, exquisite fretless bass and moody keyboards. Very nice. I'm Talking is lighter and poppier than most of the album but I think it's my favorite so far. It's a very positive song with light and catchy lyrics and melodies.
Next up is an instrumental entitled What? consisting of atmospheric keyboards and nice lead guitar. Strange Short Night is a short bit that leads directly into City Nights, a really cool song. It seems like a lot of this album could have been lifted right from JETHRO TULL's A album, one of my favorites by them. There's quite a bit of really good electronic drum sounds throughout the album and they are very prominent here.
Fritz! is a wild instrumental with some very unique percussion programming. It reminds me of ZAPPA's Jazz From Hell synclavier music quite a bit. Stay With Me is a nice love song but really doesn't do a whole lot for me. It does have a decent keyboard solo though.
The next three songs, Good Night And Yet..., Once On A Grey Day... and ...Fritz Meets The Bass make up a neat little suite. Lots more of that Steve Hackett inspired guitar, wonderful keyboards and fretless bass. The album closes with The Hole another longer number with mellow parts alongside funkier bits. All things considered, FOR YOUR PLEASURE is a really decent band. ...Check them out!«
ffroyd
Stereoplay (Germany)
»Surrounded by a hostile hip-hop and techno superiority, ignominiously left alone from the forceful music mogul, this band out of Berlin is still able to keep its classical art of rock upright. Years after their debut album Scattered Pages FOR YOUR PLEASURE is able to provide us with the utmost pleasant "déja 'entendu" experience. The melodious dramatic romantic rock is influenced by GENESIS (Always The Same Old Introduction Of War) and JETHRO TULL (City Nights), still being sympathetically independent!«
Matthias Inhoffen (2000)